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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    February 3, 2020

    Banana Cookies

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    These Banana Cookies are soft and chewy and topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting! They're the most delicious way to use up those ripe bananas sitting on your counter!!

    Jump to Recipe
    A banana cookie with a bite taken out of it on a wooden board, in front of more cookies.

    When you've got ripe bananas to use up, what's your go-to recipe? Perhaps it's banana bread? Frosted banana bars? Or my Banana Crumb Muffins?

    I love having ripe bananas and often purchase too many bananas on purpose so I end up with leftover to bake with! As much as I love banana bread and banana muffins as much as the next person, I wanted something different.

    Remembering how much you all loved the soft Rhubarb Cookies with cream cheese frosting I posted last year, I decided to do a banana version! And oh my goodness.....this might be my new go-to banana recipe! (Seriously. Give this one a try!!)

    two banana cookies on a wooden board. One is sprinkled with walnuts.

    What ingredients are in Banana Cookies?

    If you've got ripe bananas and the typical baking "stuff"....ya know, flour, sugar, butter, etc., you probably have almost everything you need to make these.

    • Butter - Yep, let's just go ahead and start with the real good stuff! 😉
    • Sugar and Brown Sugar - I like using a combination in this recipe. You get the sweetness from both and the brown sugar adds a little extra flavor and keeps the cookies soft.
    • Egg - This helps give the cookies it's soft, cakey texture and holds the cookies together so they don't end up crumbly.
    • Mashed Bananas - Flavor, flavor, flavor! And moistness. Yum!
    • Vanilla & Salt - Ditto to the flavor, flavor, flavor!!
    • Baking Soda - This is the leavening agent in these cookies, so it helps give them a nice and fluffy texture.
    • Flour - This is the bulk of the batter - gimme all the carbs! 😉
    • Cream Cheese & Butter - This is the start of your frosting, and in my opinion, the most delicious part of these cookies!!
    • Powdered Sugar - Because it's frosting. ha!
    • Vanilla - Once again, flavor!!
    • Chopped Nuts - These are optional, but they are a nice textural addition and bring more flavor to the cookies.
    a close up view of a cookie being held with a bite out of it.

    Can you freeze banana cookies?

    Absolutely! And actually, you can freeze them with or without the frosting on them.

    If you choose to frost them without the frosting, simply stack the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag. You will want to place a sheet of waxed paper between the layers of cookies, though, so they don't stick together.

    If you want to frost them prior to freezing, that'll work too. Let the cookies cool completely, frost, then place on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, you'll be able to stack the cookies without making a mess.

    A banana cookie topped with walnut pieces on a wooden board.

    Is there a way to ripen bananas more quickly?

    Craving some banana cookies or banana bread, but your bananas just aren't quite ripe enough yet?

    • Preheat oven to 300F.
    • Place the banana(s) on a sheet pan (in case the juices leak out of them a bit).
    • Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until soft and black like the banana on the right in the photo below.
    • Remove the bananas from the oven, peel and place the banana into a bowl to let cool. You will want to let these cool to room temperature so you don’t cook the eggs when mixing them into the batter.
    A yellow banana and a black banana.

    What are some tasty variations of these Banana Cookies?

    There are so many flavors that pair really well with banana. Therefore, I wanted to give you a list of different add-ins and toppings that might trip your trigger!

    Chocolate Chips - Bananas and chocolate are the perfect match. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter before baking - yummm!!

    Peanut Butter - One of my favorite snacks is a banana with peanut butter spread on it. (Soooo good!) Create a Peanut Butter Banana Cookie by adding ½ c chopped peanuts into the batter and spreading peanut butter frosting on top (in place of the cream cheese frosting).

    Extra Nutty - When it comes to banana recipes, I love to load them with pecans or walnuts! The recipe calls for the (optional) nuts just on top, but you can also add 1 cup of chopped nuts into the batter before baking. It'll add a nice crunch!

    A banana cookie with a bite out of it on a wooden board.

    Give these a try and let me know what you think!!

    Banana Cookies

    kelsey
    These Banana Cookies are soft and chewy and topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting!
    5 from 3 votes
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    Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Servings 3 dozen cookies

    Ingredients
      

    Cookies

    • ½ c butter
    • ½ c sugar
    • ½ c brown sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 c mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 c flour

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 3 oz cream cheese softened
    • 1 tablespoon butter softened
    • 1 ½ c powdered sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • chopped nuts optional

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
    • Beat in the egg, bananas and vanilla until smooth.
    • Add the soda, salt and flour and mix until combined.
    • Use a cookie scoop to form cookies on a parchment-lined (or greased) sheet pan, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies.
    • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
    • Let cool for 2-3 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
    • Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
    • Spread the frosting over the cookies and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.
    Keyword banana, Banana Cookies, cookies
    Tried this recipe?Follow me at @dancearoundthekitchen.kelsey and let me know how you liked it!

    Recipe added to the Weekend Potluck

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    about kelsey

    About Kelsey

    Combining my love for food and family is a pretty easy calculation. Almost all family gatherings include food… After all, a party without cake is just a meeting right? Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jennifer Konovalski says

      August 04, 2020 at 12:27 pm

      how much flour?

      Reply
    2. Kathleen Haikes says

      October 19, 2020 at 8:09 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        October 20, 2020 at 4:49 pm

        Thanks Kathleen!! I'm so glad you enjoyed these! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Garden Party says

      April 27, 2021 at 5:49 pm

      5 stars
      These are the BOMB❣️🍌 Best banana cookies I’ve made/had. I added a handful of chopped walnuts and toffee chips to the batter as well. Also whipped up the frosting without butter for I like the tang of the cream cheese to shine thru. My Go To recipe here on out thank you!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        April 29, 2021 at 2:13 pm

        So happy to hear that!! 🙂 Made my day!
        -Kelsey

        Reply
    4. Sarah says

      December 27, 2021 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      I was looking around the interwebs for something different to do with my ripe bananas...I was sick of overly moist banana bread and didn't want to deal with muffins or anything like that either. These were PERFECT. I'm hoping the dough freezes well (I like to make a large batch of cookies and just bake 2-3 at a time), but I love how the tester cookies turned out - light, fluffy, airy. I added pecans and plan on picking up some store cream cheese frosting. Definitely going to try with other mixins too!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        December 27, 2021 at 6:11 pm

        So happy to hear, Sarah!! It's such a fun way to use up bananas that are super ripe....my girls especially love them! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a wife, mother and BFFs with my KitchenAid mixer, happy to bring you easy meals and decadent desserts! Welcome to my blog!

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